This species has been collected in Benguet Province on Mount Pulog, Mount Simakoko and Mount Ugo. Further collections have been made in Ifugao Province on Mount Himi-o and Mount Pimmage; Nueva Vizcaya Province; Quezon Province on Mount Camatis and Rizal Province on Montalban. The habitat is recorded as mossy forest.

The Plants Description

The pseudobulbs cluster on a short to slightly elongate rhizome. The pseudobulbs are shaped fusiform or obpyriform. The pseudobulbs measure 1.0-2.5cm long and 0.3-0.6cm in diameter. The pseudobulbs are covered by 4-5 cataphylls while they are growing. The cataphylls soon disintegrate into non-persistent fibres as the pseudobulbs mature. The leaves are petiolate; the petiole measures 1.2-7.7cm long. The leaf blades are convolute, shaped narrowly to broadly lanceolate and have acute apices that are sometimes acuminate. The leaf blades measure 4.4-12.4cm long and 1.2-2.4cm wide. The leaves are leathery and have 3-5 distinct nerves.

The Inflorescence

The inflorescence is synanthous. The peduncle is suberect to curved and measures 5.4-16cm long. The rachis is nodding to pendent and measures 3.9-12cm long. The flowers alternate distichously and are spaced 3-5mm apart. There are 1-4 appressed non-floriferous bracts at the base of the rachis. The flowers open from the proximal section of the rachis.

The Flowers

Henrik Pedersen wrote that the flowers are greenish yellow to nearly white (Pedersen 1997). Cultivated plants I have seen have been a pale pinkish-yellow colour. The sepals and petals spread widely. The dorsal sepal is shaped elliptic and has an obtuse apex. The dorsal sepal measures 5.5-7.9mm long and 2.5-3.3mm wide. The dorsal sepal is 3 veined and has entire margins. The lateral sepals are shaped obliquely elliptic with acuminate to obtuse apices. The lateral sepals measure 5.4-7.5mm long and 2.8-3.5mm wide. The lateral sepals are 3 veined and have entire margins. The petals are shaped elliptic to broadly obovate and have obtuse apices. The petals measure 5.8-7.3mm long and 3.4-5.2mm wide. The petals are 3 veined and have entire margins. The labellum is porrect to pendent and 3-lobed. The labellum measures 3.1-4.7mm long and 3.4-5.2mm wide. The labellum is obscurely three veined and has entire margins. The side lobes are erect and quadrate shaped with rounded apices. The mid-lobe is large, shaped nearly quadrate to suborbicular and has a retuse apex. There is one quadrate shaped callus that is located at the base of the hypochile. The column is suberect, straight to somewhat incurved and measures 1.1-1.5mm long. The column apex is smooth and slightly exceeds the anther cap. Stelidia and a column foot are absent.

Plants have been collected in the wild during September, October and from December to February. Plants in cultivation in the northern hemisphere flower from early spring to early summer.

Culture

This species is found in the specialist collection. I know of plants in general cultivation in Germany and the United Kingdom.

Similar Species

There are no similar species

Other Information

Oakes Ames (1909) compared this species to Dendrochilum hutchinsonianum and L.O. Williams wrote (1951) that this species had an affinity to Dendrochilum anfractum. Henrik Pedersen disagreed with both authors; Pedersen wrote (1997) that this species is not in subgenus Pseudacoridium on account of its entire rostellum. Pedersen wrote that he had his doubts if this species should have been in subgenus Acoridium section Convoluta or in Platyclinis section Eurybrachium. Pedersen placed this species in section Eurybrachium because of the presence of a distal wing on the column. Pedersen said that Dendrochilum auriculare and Dendrochilum hastatum are good reasons why Dendrochilum should not be split up into separate genera. Dendrochilum auriculare does not have any close relatives.

The epithet refers to the ear like side lobes.

Reference -

AMES, Oakes. 1909, Notes on the Philippine Orchids with Descriptions of New Species, Philippine Journal of Science, Manila, Philippines.